marvelfandomcom-20200222-history
Henry McCoy (Earth-616)
Bouncing, Blue Beast A brilliant student, McCoy completed his doctoral studies and finally left the X-Men and Xavier's school to take a position as a genetic researcher with the Brand Corporation. There he developed a serum that acted as a catalyst for activating latent mutations. (This serum would become the basis of the Mutant Growth Hormone.) On drinking the serum to stop theft of his work, McCoy underwent radical physical changes. He grew gray fur over his entire body, his ears became larger and pointed, claws sprouted, and his canine teeth became larger, resembling fangs. The serum also further increased his superhuman agility, endurance, speed, and strength, as well as enhanced senses and endowing him with an extraordinary healing factor. (1972) An error on his part resulted in him permanently in this state. An encounter with Quasimodo caused his life force to be virtually expelled, which resulted in the gray fur becoming blue and the loss of his extraordinary healing factor. Depressed about his appearance, Cyclops returned him home for a time, but he returns after reassurance of his importance from his old girlfriend Jennifer Nyles. During this time he was mind-controlled by Mastermind into joining the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, but left immediately after regaining his senses. Avengers Eventually, McCoy left Brand, joined the Avengers, and publicly revealed his dual identity. Beast tracked down the X-Men and found them working in a circus, enthralled by Mesmero. Hank managed to snap the X-Men out of the illusion, just before Magneto arrived and transported them to his Antarctica base. The Phoenix and the Beast ended up separated from the other X-Men, each group mistakenly believing the other to have died. During this time, he became the best of friends with Wonder Man. Hank witnessed Phoenix' transformation into Dark Phoenix. He was among the X-Men who had to duel the Imperial Guard over Phoenix' fate. In the end, Phoenix committed suicide. Later, a Skrull posing as Jarvis poisoned Vera Cantor to blackmail the Avengers into retrieving a powerful gem called Resurrection Stone for him. Beast was able to save her with the help of Doctor Strange, Reed Richards, and Daimon Hellstorm. Defenders After years of service with the Avengers, the Beast took it upon himself to reorganize another super-hero group, the Defenders, into a more formal combat organization. His X-Men cohorts Angel and Iceman served in the Defenders along with him, but the team collapsed after a climactic battle with a possessed Moondragon in which several other members seemingly perished. X-Factor Following the return of Jean Grey, the Beast and his fellow members of the original X-Men formed a new organization, the first X-Factor. Convinced that they needed a good leader to function properly, Hank and Bobby were the reason Scott decided to stay on. They publicly appeared to hunt down allegedly dangerous mutants as the X-Terminators, but secretly taught them how to use their superhuman abilities. At this time, Hank looked-up his old girlfriend Vera Cantor, who had made a drastic change becoming a political activist, amongst others for the pro-mutant cause. Shortly after the formation of X-Factor, the Beast was captured by Tower for the geneticist Dr. Carl Maddicks, who performed an experiment trying to cure mutation that caused the Beast to revert to his original, more human appearance. Hank refused, but Arthur, Maddicks' son, convinced him otherwise. Shortly after, Hank meets television news reporter Trish Tilby. Together with X-Factor, they battled the Alliance of Evil, the Freedom Force, Apocalypse's Horsemen, and the Marauders. In a their first battle with the Horsemen, Pestilence's touch leaves Hank deathly ill. Pestilence's touch, coupled with Maddicks' experimentation, resulted in Hank gaining tremendous strength, but losing intelligence every time he exerts himself. During this time, Hank began dating Trish Tilby. She and Hank bickered back and forth about her reporting of X-Factor and his need for disclosure, a problem they had for the entirety of their relationship. Some time later, however, the powers of the mutant Infectia's kiss reverted Maddicks' and Pestilence's change and triggered the Beast's return to his blue, furry, more animalistic look, but much stronger. After battling the Chosen, Rejects and Beginagains on a space mission, After Professor Charles Xavier returned to Earth following an extended period in outer space with the Starjammers, the Beast and his fellow X-Factor founders returned to the X-Men. Return to the X-Men For years the Beast remained an active member of the X-Men's Blue Team as well as serving as the resident technological and medical genius at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning even becoming field leader at one time. Hank found the challenge of his career once Stryfe tricked Mr. Sinister into releasing the deadly Legacy Virus. After countless months with no results, Hank eventually went to Sinister hoping for a miracle. Hank was at one point kidnapped by his alternate self, Dark Beast, in an attempt to hide from this reality's Sinister. He was trapped for almost a year while Dark Beast took over his life as an X-Man and his research, including the work on the Legacy Virus . Hank escaped at the same time that Dark Beast was discovered by Onslaught. Dr. MacTaggart, the only human to contract the virus, discovered a cure to a certain strain and died delivering the data to Xavier's, leaving her work incomplete. Based on Moira's notes, Beast finished the anti-virus, but in order to work, he needed a sample of an infected mutant. Before anyone could stop him, Colossus decided to sacrifice his life. X-Treme X-Men Hank spent a short time with Storm's X-Treme team in search of Destiny's diaries. Hank underwent a Secondary Mutation that caused him to mutate further into a more feline creature after having his "latent genetic potential" jump-started by Sage , though he first showed up as cat-like in , which supposedly happened later.. After Vargas killed Psylocke, Beast returned to the Institute. New X-Men The combination of a loss of a friend and his further mutation caused Beast to become very insecure, feeling that he was devolving into an animal. He entered deep into his work, helping Xavier build a stronger Cerebro named Cerebra. Xavier opened the school to a larger student base. He finally ended his relationship with Trish Tilby as she was afraid what would happen to her image if she was seen with him in public. After he discovered Cassandra Nova was inhabiting Xavier's body, Nova manipulated Beak into beating Beast so dreadfully as to place him into a deep coma. She also left him with the thought that his secondary mutation was actually de-evolution and that he would soon have the intelligence of a house cat. Hank eventually woke up, just in time for Jean Grey and Emma Frost to perform a psychic surgery and keep Xavier alive. Over time, Beast struck up a strong friendship with Emma, even collecting her shattered diamond form and arranging thousands of pieces into place after she is attacked by Esme. He also began claiming he was gay to the public. Falling for John Sublime's trap, Hank uncovered that the human race would be extinct within a few generations. Working hard to keep the X-Men together and solve the human extinction problem, he turned to the drug Kick and got infected by Sublime. Corrupted, Hank caused a chain of events leading the world to ruin resulting in the Here Comes Tommorrow timeline. Phoenix disinfected Hank of the Sublime parasite and traveled back in time to end the bleak timeline. Astonishing X-Men Hank was still an active X-Man, working with Cyclops on his squad, in-which Hank finally found his place as a guidance counselor. He also had recently questioned his intentions as far as mutant rights went, firstly during Dr. Kavita Rao's so-called cure, then later after the events of House of M. Emma found that he was considering taking the serum, but after a fight with Wolverine in front of the students and Cyclops asking him to wait on it, he decided otherwise. After further analyzing the serum, Beast learned that it was derived from experimenting on dead mutants. The resulting mission ended with the rescue of the resurrected X-Man Colossus. After facing the Danger Room mutating to a sentient being and Cassandra Nova influencing Emma Frost, the team is sent to the alien Breakworld. After their return from Breakworld, Beast began dating S.W.O.R.D. agent Abigail Brand. Civil War During the Civil War, Beast, is among the original X-Men that help Bishop rescue the trapped 198. He also provided Spider-Man with a holographic disguise and enlisted in the Initiative program. Endangered Species He endeavored to find a way to reverse the de-powering effects of M-Day, and thus prevent the extinction of the mutant race, as not only had most of the current mutants lost their powers, but no new mutants were developing powers. To this end, Beast enlisted numerous villains, after having exhausted the help of the likes of Reed Richards and Tony Stark to help him understand the situation. Hank traveled to Transia, in search of the High Evolutionary, whose earlier cryptic comments aroused Hank's curiosity. Scaling Mount Wundagore, he and his group of travelers were confronted by the Knights of Wundagore. He began working with Dark Beast until at the Guthrie home, the Dark Beast injects one of the non-mutant children with a serum as a test subject. He eventually decides to track down the Scarlett Witch who he finds amnesic of her past life and abandons his quest. Messiah CompleX After the first mutant child was born since M-Day, Hank assisted at the mansion. After the destruction of the mansion, He was present during the battle on Muir Island. When Cyclops disbanded the X-Men, Hank found himself at the ruins of the X-Mansion, picking up Martha Johansson, who had apparently been left behind. After the team set-up in San Francisco, the Skrull's Invaded. Hank adapted the Legacy Virus to infect the Super-Skrulls. Without testing of an antidote, Cyclops decided to use it on them. X-Club In order to save mutantkind from the effects of M-Day, Beast and Angel decided to gather a team of specialists. They gathered Madison Jeffries, Dr. Yuriko Takiguchi, Dr. Nemesis, and Dr. Kavita Rao. During the recruitment drive, Hank learned that Warren had returned to his Death/Archangel persona. Beast and the X-Club traveled back to 1906 in order to find Dr. Nemesis's parents and discover the origins of modern mutation. During the mission, they also fought an early version of a Sentinel created by the Hellfire Club, and inadvertently caused the San Francisco earthquake. However, when they returned to the present, they found that their DNA evidence had been buried beneath where the Dreaming Celestial was standing in the park. Yuriko Takiguchi died of natural causes shortly after, and Beast spoke at his funeral. Cyclops then asked him to locate Cable and Hope in the timestream as well as provide time machines to send a group of X-Men to aid them. Although Beast was unaware of the formation of X-Force, he warned Cyclops that he did not agree with the plan if they were to assassinate Bishop in the future. He further protested when Cyclops pulled X-Force from a mission to save the lives of Boom-Boom, Hellion, and Surge. Dark Reign/Utopia After being arrested by H.A.M.M.E.R for protesting in San Fransisco, Beast became a test subject for the Omega Machine (designed by Dark Beast to eradicate mutant powers and place them in Weapon Omega) while being held prisoner on Alcatraz Island by Norman Osborn, along with Professor X. He was tortured daily until Cyclops sent Magik and X-Force to rescue the captive mutants. After they settled-in on Utopia, Beast informed Cyclops that he was quitting the X-Men. Cyclops begged him to stay saying he needed Hank to tell him when he would go to far, to which Beast replied, "Scott, you've gone too far". SWORD/Second Coming Beast joined his girlfriend Abigail Brand as a member of SWORD. Not long after, he was made a fugitive by Henry Peter Gyrich and returned to the X-Men to attend Nightcrawler's funeral and stayed on as a doctor during Bastion's attack on Hope. He and Prodigy briefed the team about the timesphere Bastion was using to send the horde of over 170,000 Nimrods to Utopia. He was instrumental in finding Bastion's timeline and attuning Cable's time-travel device. He tended to the wounded when they returned, then once again left the team, despite Namor's insulting him as a deserter. Heroic Age Beast returned to the Avengers, helping Steve Rogers with his team of Secret Avengers. Personality Henry McCoy wondered why he wasn't one of the "lucky ones". If he had to remain a mutant, why did he have a power that made him look and sometimes feel like a beast? He continued to struggle for the acceptance of others. As a man of arts and letters and the sciences, Beast was very much the Renaissance man, and while his peers in the intellectual community knew this, he never received a Nobel Prize or got invited to the National Academy of Sciences as they still considered him very much a mutant. He even knew what it was like to be jilted by the proverbial Beauty — his recent fear of human emotion had caused him to turn away from long time lover Trish Tilby, who had finally seemed to find the error in her ways as far as attitude towards his secondary mutation. Despite his ongoing battle with the demons of loneliness and rejection, he was an inveterate prankster and wit, and besides his brutish exterior, Beast was the most literate and eloquent of the X-Men, possessing a million-dollar vocabulary. Henry was every bit a human being plagued by duality: man/beast; genius/sports star; gentle giant/feral aggressor. Equal parts biochemist and activist, Beast focused on the X-Men's goals of building better relationships between man and mutant. In immersing himself in this campaign, Beast held hope that in the world he and the other X-Men dream of, he'll finally be known more for the genius within than for the creature outside. | Powers = Genetic Atavism: It is possible that Beast's mutation is a result of genetic atavism (or genetic traits that resurface in a species after many years of dormancy). He also possesses neotenous (or traits in a descendant that resemble those of an ancestor organism, like a chimpanzee trait in a human) characteristics, which would explain why he has a big modern brain with an ape-like physique. Due to secondary mutation Beast transformed from his original ape-like physique to a more cat-like physique. *'Superhuman Strength:' The Beast has always possessed some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which have varied at times due to subsequent mutation. During his teens, he was able to lift approximately 1 ton. After mutating into his simian form, and after this mutation eventually stabilized, his strength was increased to the point where he could lift about 10 tons, which was sufficient to smash through a brick wall with a single punch and to tie an iron barbell into a knot. Although the Beast has since mutated into a somewhat larger, more feline form his strength still remains at the 10 ton level.http://www.marvel.com/universe/OHOTMU:Data_Corrections_X-Men_2004 *'Superhuman Speed:' The Beast can run and move at speeds that are slightly beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. He can run at speeds up to 40 miles an hour over short distances, particularly if he runs on all fours. *'Superhuman Stamina:' The Beast's highly advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than that of an ordinary human. He can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. *'Superhuman Durability:' The Beast's bodily tissues are harder and more resistant to certain types of injuries than the bodies of normal humans. His physiology can withstand great impact forces, though he can be injured by many types of conventional weapons such as standard firearms and bladed weapons. However, he can withstand physical impacts, such as falling from several stories or being physically struck by many super-humanly strong beings that would either severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort. *'Superhuman Agility:' The Beast's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Like some of his other powers, his agility has varied at times due to ongoing and subsequent mutations. While in his simian form, he had the agility of a great ape combined with the acrobatic prowess of an Olympic level gymnast. He could walk a tightrope or a slack rope as easily as most people can walk on a sidewalk. He could also walk on his hands for many hours, or perform a complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs. He can easily match or top any Olympic record in gymnastics. Upon mutating into his feline form, his agility remains roughly the same, though it has taken some time for him to become accustomed to the physical changes. *'Superhuman Dexterity:' He can perform many tasks with his feet as easily as a human could do with his hands. His manual and pedal dexterity are so great that he can write using both hands at once or tie knots in rope with his toes. Although he can still perform many of these same tasks in his current feline form, his dexterity isn't quite what it once was. *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' The Beast's metabolism enables him to repair mild to moderate injuries much faster than a normal human. For instance, he can recover from minor ailments, such as a cold, within a few hours. More severe injuries, like broken bones, can heal within a few days, whereas normal humans might take weeks or even months. *'Super-humanly Acute Senses:' Hank possesses enhanced, acute senses that are comparable to those of certain animals, enabling him to see and hear distant objects more clearly than a normal human, and identify and track someone purely by scent. He also possesses cat-like night-vision. *'Pheromones:' Beast has the ability to secrete pheromones to attract members of the opposite sex. *'Claws and Fangs:' The Beast sports retractable, razor sharp claws at the tip of each finger and toe. Their natural edge, coupled with his strength, are sufficient to rend most conventional materials including flesh, wood, stone, and even some types of metals. He also possesses elongated canines that he can use, if he chooses to do so, as effective weapons in close quarter combat situations. | Abilities = Genius-level Intellect: Henry McCoy possesses a genius-level intellect and is a world-renowned biochemist with great insight into mutant genetics and evolutionary biology: a peer of Professor Xavier, Moira MacTaggart, and Kavita Rao. He also has expertise in chemistry, physics, differential equations, electronics, nano-effusive devices, anatomy, philosophy, ancient cultures, art history, musicology, and literature. He is a polyglot. Beast is also an accomplished keyboard musician. Hand to Hand Combatant: The hyperactive, bouncing Beast is an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. He gained his initial combat training from Professor Xavier, and then continued his tutelage in combat gymnastics from Captain America. He typically uses a freestyle form of combat, similar to that of Spider-Man, that allows him to make full use of his great strength and agility. During times of anger, however, the Beast is known to resort to brawling and street fighting tactics. | Strength = Class 10; Hank is able to lift 10 tons. | Weaknesses = He has no inherent "weakness". | Equipment = The Beast possesses a fully-equipped laboratory in Xavier's mansion. Presumably it holds the latest in biological and material analysis devices. It may also contain Shi'ar technology. | Transportation = The Beast often travels with the X-Men in their modified SR-71 Blackbird. | Weapons = While known to use heavy weapons, The Beast prefers to fight bare-handed. | Notes = * In X-Treme X-Men Volume #1, it was revealed that Hank had a crush on Betsy Braddock when she was a supermodel. They flirted with one another in the same issue. * Hank's religious affiliation is Episcopalian. * The Beast enjoys Twinkies. Evidence can be found in ''X-Men'' #73, where Beast's list of New Year's Resolutions revealed that one of his resolutions was to "Eat fewer Twinkies" (the other resolutions were to "read more 15th century texts" and "cure Legacy Virus", the latter the only one which it is evidenced that he did). * Beast was the one who initially discovered the cure for the Legacy Virus but failed to acknowledge it, only coming across the cure again in implementing the work of colleague Dr. MacTaggert. * Due to Beast's transformation into a cat-like being he has developed a carnivorous taste for flesh, which he is conflicted over. | Trivia = * Due to his experience, intellect, physical abilities and fierce determination, ONE considered the Beast a significant threat if a mutant-human conflict emerged in light of recent events. * Beast was set to appear in X-Men, but was taken out due to make-up problems. His doctor persona was transferred into Jean Grey's character. * Kelsey Grammer is also known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane in the Frasier TV series, a character that, while having none of Beast's powers, was very refined and cultured himself. | Links = * Marvel: The Official Site - Marvel Universe: Beast (Henry McCoy) * X-Men The Last Stand * Marvel Directory * UncannyXmen.Net's Spotlight on Beast * Wolverine's Revenge * "The religion of Beast (Hank McCoy)" * X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse Hero Handbook * Marvel Encyclopedia, Vol 1, 2002. David Bogart, ISBN 0-785-10984-6 * Science of the X-Men, 1st edition paperback, 2004. Linc Yaco, Karen Haber, ISBN 0-743-48725-7 * The Xavier Files, 1st edition paperback, 1994. Justine H. Korman, ISBN 0-679-86177-7 * X-Men: The Ultimate Guide, 2nd edition hardback, 2003. Peter Sanderson, ISBN 0-789-49258-X * The Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, 1st edition hardback, 2003. Marvel Entertainment, ISBN 0-7851-1028-3 * TSR Marvel Superheroes Judge's Book * The Complete Guide to Marvel Legends: Beast MOC Back * stason.org - when did the beast turn blue? * Henry McCoy article at Memory Beta, the licensed Star Trek Wikia. | Other Media = * Beast of the X-Men Films * Beast of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends * Beast of the X-Men Animated Series * Beast of X-Men: Evolution * Beast of X-Men Vs. Street Fighter * Beast in X-Men Legends * Beast in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance * Beast also appeared in the first level in Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro, and was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. }} hu:Bestia Category:X-Men members Category:Defenders members Category:X-Factor members Category:198 Mutants Category:Scientists Category:Protestant Characters Category:Regeneration Category:Superhuman Senses Category:Superhuman Agility Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Speed (Superhuman) Category:Strength Class 10 Category:Durability (Enhanced) Category:Geniuses Category:Hyperosmia Category:Night Vision Category:Pheromones Category:Doctors Category:Genetics Category:X-Club members